


Wherever You Will Go

by Cryofreeze



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, First Kiss, Fix-It, Infinity War, M/M, Mentions of canon character death, Minor Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, No Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Stucky - Freeform, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, but I will tag it when there are, bye bye Thanos, infinity war fix-it, this isn't a song fic despite the title and description, yet - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2019-05-01 08:11:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14516109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cryofreeze/pseuds/Cryofreeze
Summary: If I could turn back timeI'll go wherever you will go-The Avengers must all go back in time to collect the infinity stones before Thanos can get his hands on them, but Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes find themselves returning even further back than the rest, to a time they'd both believed to be far behind them: World War II.





	1. Infinity War

**Author's Note:**

> SPOILERS FOR INFINITY WAR AHEAD!! Don't read this if you haven't seen the film yet and don't want it spoiled!! If some of this story doesn't make sense or there are glaring plot holes in the logic just go with it because I wrote this entire thing in 4 days and it's just my coping mechanism for Infinity War that I hope might help some other people out too! I did my best to tie things together though xP
> 
> For the sake of this story I'm saying that Doctor Strange took place a few years before Infinity War, because I think the idea that everything he goes through is meant to be within a year is completely unrealistic. And I'm going to explain some points of the story in more detail in the end notes in case it's too confusing, but hopefully it will be enjoyable anyway x)
> 
> Title is from The Calling's "Wherever You Will Go"

 

Bucky opened his eyes in a panic, his chest heaving and his entire body drenched in sweat. His skin felt like it was on fire, or more like he'd just been skinned alive.

Flashes of colour and ghostly images chased themselves around before his eyes: Wakanda, the battle, a huge bright explosion, Steve... and then nothing at all.

He choked for air, looking down at his body and marvelling when all of it was still there. Seated in a chair, with both of his legs in one piece, his right arm strapped down to the arm rest of the chair and his left... his left was gleaming silver, the old familiar plates all intact and attached neatly to his shoulder where his red star shone proudly. He blinked dazedly as metal fingers responded to his command the way they always had, like he'd never lost his original prosthetic at all.

Vaguely, Bucky became aware of sounds around him. The bustling of people, low voices, and a constant bleep of a heart monitor. Now that the initial terror had ceased and he was gulping down lungfuls of air, the feeling of being flayed alive was fading like a nightmare or the aftermath of his latest bout in the electric chair. The metal restraints around him released suddenly, and Bucky's instincts prickled as he finally realised why all of this was so familiar...

“Soldier?” One of the scientists asked, and Bucky slowly lifted his head to stare at the man moving to stand in front of him. He thought he recognized the face, one that had often flitted over him back when he'd been kept by Hydra... Bucky narrowed his eyes in confusion and then looked past the scientist, his heart turning to stone when he realised they were in the old secret bank vault. It was unmistakeable.

What...?

For a moment he thought he was hallucinating, depicting one of his biggest fears as he found himself back here with The Chair and scientists flocking around him like he was just a slab of meat not worthy of their attention. But it was all too clear, too _real_ , and in his nightmares he was always trapped inside the body of the mindless Winter Soldier, helpless to stop himself from following Hydra's orders as he fought to free himself from their mind control.

This... this was something else entirely.

The claustrophobia of being back in this place fled as soon as he remembered that he still had his own mind, and that he intended to use it.

“What is this?” He growled, turning his glare back onto that scientist.

The man ignored him. “Vitals?” He asked a woman sitting by a monitor that Bucky was attached to with wires, he realised.

“Elevated, but that's to be expected. He just needs a moment to recover from the shock.”

Bucky stared at her in hatred. Nobody seemed to realise that their perfect soldier wasn't wiped clean and docile like they expected. Rage bubbled hot in his chest at all these people conspiring to make him less than human, and the next second Bucky realised he was standing and pulling all the wires off his body.

“Soldier, sit down! Get back! Soldier, _stop!_ Call for Pierce!” The man squealed as he advanced, catching the scientist by the collar of his lab coat and lifting him a few inches off the ground.

“ _Pierce?_ ” Bucky's eyes flashed with anger at the mention of the man, but his mind was working quickly to piece all of these strange events together. “What year is it?!” He asked the man, pulling him closer so that their noses were almost touching.

The other Hydra scientists were watching from behind him but Bucky didn't care. He shook the man in his grip to make him start talking.

“It – it's 2012.”

2012?! Bucky dropped him carelessly and turned away, seeing a picture in his minds eye that didn't exist yet: he was back in Wakanda, where the alien army had been attacking and Steve and Wanda had been trying to stop their leader, this Thanos, who'd had the –

The infinity stones. Power, soul, reality, space, mind and... time.

He'd travelled back in time?

When the door to the vault swung open and Alexander Pierce walked in like not a day had passed since he'd seen him last, Bucky stopped trying to think and did the only thing his confused and furious mind could think of.

He attacked.

~ ~ ~ ~

  


Out in the streets of DC civilians were panicked and all huddling over their phones, crowding together. Bucky didn't like the feeling of danger in the air and in all of their terrified faces, and his gut turned cold when the prospect that Thanos and his alien army had possibly followed him back in time registered.

None of this made any sense, but Bucky grabbed the phone out of a passing man's hand and watched the video playing with a sense of dread. The sight of Manhattan filled the screen, with huge flying machines breaking apart buildings, a tiny green dot jumping through the streets, Iron Man soaring between the skyscrapers and a red white and blue shield colliding with hostiles swarming around trapped civilians.

Bucky breathed out in a long exhale of understanding. He didn't even notice when the phone was snatched back out of his hand with a choice curse from the owner, because now he knew where he had to go.

He needed a quinjet.

  


~ ~ ~ ~

  


Steve whirled around, squinting in confusion as he scanned the sudden change in his surroundings between one blink and the next.

What the...?

Civilians were screaming through the city as swarms of aliens attacked, but Steve stared as he realised that Thanos' alien army had now been replaced with Loki's Chitauri, wrecking havoc in the streets of Manhattan. He looked up at the familiar skyscrapers towering up above him, at the distant roaring smudge of the Hulk as he jumped between buildings.

Steve ducked instinctively when a huge looming shadow swam over the sky, gaping up at the monster Chitauri spaceship before it disappeared from view again a few seconds later. It was only then that he realised what he'd brought up to protect himself with, and he lost his breath as he brought his gaze down to the colourful disc of metal strapped snugly to his forearm.

He didn't have much time to think or linger on these impossible turn of events when a crowd of screaming civilians rounded the corner onto his street, and Steve just relied on his muscle memory to toss his trusty old Captain America shield into the Chitauri that were chasing them. He caught it easily when it came right back, then instinctively fell into the familiar routine of wielding it again to protect the people as he set off through the streets.

With the Battle of New York replaying in perfect clarity around him.

Of course, Tony's voice was the first he heard over the comms. “Okay – anyone want to tell me what just happened?” Judging by the shakiness in his voice, he wasn't talking about the latest Chitauri attack happening in downtown.

“Stark?” Steve asked, confused and shaken as well. He caught his shield again as it bounced back to him and turned down the next street, expecting another hoard of aliens to fend off. But suddenly it seemed like the Chitauri were nowhere to be seen. He pressed on regardless.

“ _Cap?_ ” Tony didn't sound _un_ happy to hear from him, more shocked like it was completely unexpected. That gave Steve some more information about what was going on, because if he and Tony were still not on speaking terms then this whole mirage of the battle of New York just became a whole lot more transparent.

“This is a trick, this can't be real. Thanos is still playing mind games with us – ” He started, feeling the puncture wound in his heart when he replayed the last thing he remembered over in his mind.

Bucky... _Bucky had...!_

Steve had to close his eyes and shake away the after image. None of this was real, too much was going on right this second for him to become compromised. Still, he had to choke down the lump rising in his throat that burned under his skin.

No. _None_ of this was real, he tried to tell himself, even if the sinking of his heart didn't believe it.

“You know of this Thanos guy too? Why do I feel like this whole day has just been one great big hallucination...” Tony mumbled.

Steve couldn't help but mutter under his breath, “You got that right.”

“Tony!” Natasha interrupted. “You were reported missing, where have you been?”

“I was on another planet – _not_ the same thing.”

“Wait – _hold on!_ ” Steve said a little too loudly, holding his hands up by his head even if none of the others could see it. He was currently standing in a destroyed street, wearing his old Captain America uniform and watching Chitauri swarm overhead. “Do all of you remember what I remember?”

“We were in Wakanda, and then everyone started to disappear – ” Thor's deep voice spoke up, and he too sounded thoroughly confused. Steve squeezed his eyes shut again at the reminder.

“You guys saw that too? I was with the kid – Spiderman, and – ” Tony sounded more hurt than Steve had ever heard him.

“So we were all there, and now suddenly we're here. We need to find out what's going on right now.” Steve said sternly, quickly adapting to his surroundings and morphing into Captain Mode. He looked up at the huge height of Avengers Tower a few blocks away – still named 'Stark Tower' currently, he noticed with an odd sensation in his stomach. “We need to re-group. Can everyone get to the roof of the tower?”

“On it.”

“I'll meet you there.” Steve said, before running in the right direction as quickly as possible. He had no current ride that would help him reach the roof by himself, and reached up a hand to his ear. “Sam, I need you to – ”

Steve's knees almost buckled.

He fell quiet, the buzzing silence coming over the comms informing him that everyone else had just realised exactly what he had.

Sam! His vision blurred suddenly, burning hot and making it difficult to navigate the rubble and destruction in his path to the tower. Sam and Bucky, both his best friends in the entire world, were gone.

But none of this was real, he insisted again, even though he knew what he'd seen and he knew what had happened. But this all seemed real too, and there was magic at play here so he couldn't be sure of anything until they worked it all out. Right now he needed to focus on finding a way to the others, if he could even reach Avengers Tower in the first place.

The now eerily empty streets seemed to go on for miles and it sounded like the fighting had stopped. Steve didn't believe that the invading army had simply disappeared and concentrated on this dilemma as he picked his way through the city and refused to let his mind re-visit what had happened in Wakanda. He just wished with all of his heart that his friends could be here right now. He could almost hear the _whoosh_ of Sam's wings flying above him, coming in to land right in front of –

Steve skidded to a halt before he crashed right into the man who dropped down onto the street.

“Sam!” He gaped in disbelief, reaching out to grab him without even really realising it. He felt solid enough, but... “What – how..?” Steve spluttered as they stepped back, scrubbing a hand over his blue helmet as he stared at the new arrival.

“I have no idea. I was hopin' one of these geniuses could fill me in.” Sam gestured in the general vicinity of the rest of the Avengers. He looked like he'd flown here from wherever Sam Wilson had been during the first Battle of New York, younger than Steve had ever seen him but only slightly, and he was too relieved to see him at all to care about that.

Steve nodded, closing his hanging jaw with considerable effort. “Are you – do you remember...?” He started and stopped, and if the pained expression that flashed across Sam's face was anything to go by, then he knew exactly what Steve was getting at. He stopped himself, changing the subject. “We're re-grouping on the roof, let's go – ”

The sound of an engine grew in the distance, getting steadily louder and eclipsing Steve's voice. He and Sam turned to defend themselves against a Chitauri threat, Steve raising his shield and Sam opening up his army-issued wings again, but instead they were met by a Shield quinjet setting down to land in the middle of the street.

He couldn't make out the figure through the window, expecting Nick Fury to appear at the perfect moment to help them as usual. But when the Winter Soldier climbed out of the quinjet, adorning his leather uniform and his silver metal arm and looked right at Steve, the whole world stopped for a moment.

He couldn't breathe, yet he heard his own gasp as it filled his lungs. Bucky started moving toward him – whole, intact, _there_ – and Steve could tell by the look of fear and relief in his eyes that he wasn't coming to attack him.

“Buck – ” He choked out, moving slowly on numb legs as he tried to meet Bucky half way, grabbing a fistful of his uniform and hauling the man against him in a hug as soon as he was able.

Bucky's arms came up around his back, squeezing him tightly in return. Steve's knees did buckle this time but he trusted his best friend to catch him and hold him steady, absorbing every ounce of the man with his face pressed against Bucky's flesh shoulder and his nose filling with the scent of his long hair.

When he finally found the will to pull away he clasped both shoulders in his hands, reluctant to let Bucky go entirely in case he disappeared. “Promise that's the last time I ever have to watch you die.” Steve said with more bravado than he thought he could muster.

Bucky only replied with a tilt of a sympathetic smile to his lips before his expression hardened into concern. “What the hell happened? I don't know what's going on.”

“None of us do. Come on, we have to get to the others.” Steve looked back over at Sam who had his eyes fixed on the quinjet behind them.

“I ain't carrying both of you when you got that baby, I don't care how crazy any of this is. You both still damn heavy.”

Steve smiled, full of relief and disbelief and joy at the company he thought he'd never be able to have again. He squeezed Bucky's shoulder, nodding to Sam in agreement before beginning to walk them both back to the quinjet. “You get up there, we'll be there soon.”

“Copy that, Cap.” Sam said, but just as he was about to take flight his eyes lingered over Steve's body taking in the sight of his very vibrant Captain America uniform. Suddenly Steve felt as though he'd wandered out into the public in pyjamas and slippers, having forgotten to change into something more acceptable. “Is that what you wanna call armour?

He pursed his lips and put an unimpressed hand on his hip. “Is this the time?”

Bucky moved at his side, coming to stand in front of him and do a once over with a slow click of his tongue. “No really, he has a point. You look like a tropical bird, Steve.” The shadow of a smirk caught Bucky's lips as he looked up and met Steve's eyes.

Steve noticed that his friend still hadn't let go of his back, and the touch and gesture alone made him not care so much about being teased. He just smiled and pushed Bucky in the direction of the quinjet. “I'm not the one with wings, remember.”

“See you up top.” Sam announced and then he was soaring away toward Avengers Tower. Steve and Bucky swapped more serious looks before they too got down to business and climbed into their seats inside the small aircraft, side by side.

  


~ ~ ~ ~

  


When they landed atop the roof everyone was already waiting for them. Including, to Steve's utter surprise, Loki. That explained why the Chitauri had suddenly ceased anyway, as the god looked ever so slightly sheepish, standing with Thor who stayed close to his side like a good older brother. Most importantly Loki wasn't trying to attack or mind control anyone, but when he and Bucky climbed out of the aircraft and joined the others on the roof, Steve still kept a protective arm in front of his friend just in case Loki got any ideas...

“Anyone got any ideas?” Tony asked straight out, his helmet opened up so they could all see his face. When he and Steve met eyes the air suddenly became more stifled than it had been before. “Cap.”

“Tony.” He greeted stiffly, not moving his arm from defending Bucky. “Can we call a truce?”

Tony watched him, the hurt from their last encounter still echoed over his face as he looked at Bucky. Steve waited, clenching his jaw in anticipation as he felt his friend withdrawing into himself a little at his side, but finally Tony said, “Fine. Truce. Just until all of this madness is sorted out, then we're back to falling out, understood?”

“Understood.” Steve agreed and finally dropped his overly protective stance so that his hands clasped the front of his belt instead. Bucky said nothing, but Steve heard the tiny exhale of relief from his side.

He looked around the rooftop, disorientated by the view he'd come to know but in the wrong time: the crumbling buildings and devastation from the Chitauri attack was still so fresh, sirens blaring in the distance as they came to mop up the mess and the Hulk was still bashing things somewhere in the distance. Steve frowned at it all, hating the sight of all that destruction, but also getting the inkling feeling that something was missing or had been misplaced... his eyes landed on Loki, who looked like he was half hiding behind his brother's massive shoulder and hoped to be overlooked.

“What is he doing here?”

Thor stepped aside when a polite voice chimed, “Do not fear, Captain. If I were going to fight you, you would know about it already.” Loki appeared to be more withdrawn than he had the last time Steve had seen him, but he still wasn't convinced.

“How do we know you aren't working with Thanos and his army? Where were you when they attacked Earth?” He crossed his arms over his bright, star-spangled chest, levelling Loki with a no-nonsense look.

“Dead. I'm glad to hear everyone missed me.” The god said with an overly toothy grin, apparently trying to hide how much that statement hit him. Steve's resolve stuttered and he looked to Thor for confirmation.

“It is true.” He confirmed, with a painful pinch to his brow. “Loki was trying to help me when Thanos attacked. We can trust him.” He clapped a large protective hand down on the smaller man's shoulder, and suddenly their close proximity made more sense. Steve felt his own eyebrows rise in the middle in sympathy, all too aware of Bucky standing very close by his side and the fact that neither wanted to step away from the other either.

Suddenly he realised that the team weren't just dishevelled and dazed from the fight, with brick dust and dazed looks on their faces. They were mourning all their losses. It almost felt like watching the next few years of his life flash before his eyes as he thought about it, images of Wanda, of Vision, their friends who didn't even exist yet but were still clear in his head. Images of Thanos destroying all that he loved, of falling to his knees in a pile of ash with the cold fingers of dread winding around his lungs.

Steve nodded slowly in understanding, trying to pick his next words carefully. “I'm sorry.” He said sincerely, looking Loki in the eye.

“As am I. Alas, it appears here I am, back from the dead to relive this... most unpleasant day.” Loki looked around himself, this time masking his true emotions better. Steve wondered if the man had always been vulnerable and he'd just never noticed, or if he'd truly gained some clarity since the real Battle of New York. “I am at as much a loss as all of you.”

“So no-one has any ideas?” Tony piped up again, this time to the party at large. “Let's just start throwin' some thoughts around, maybe one of them will stick?”

Steve knew he still wore that same expression of complete shock as the rest of the team at what was happening around them, all of it just too much to get his head around. The fact that Bucky was here, and Sam, just made things even more confusing.

“...We went back in time.” Everyone looked round at Bucky when he spoke, who just shuffled a little uncomfortably before he continued. “I woke up in DC with... this.” He lifted his metal arm, watching the light glint over its surface before dropping it again. “And Pierce was there.”

Steve raised his eyebrows. “Alexander Pierce?” He and Natasha asked at the same time, swapping wary looks with each other.

“He's dead.” She said.

Bucky nodded. “He was.” Then he met Steve's eyes, pleading almost for him to take over. Steve cleared his throat.

“I thought this was an illusion, caused by one of the infinity stones. One of them is Time, so why can't time travel be just as much a plausible answer?” He looked around, noting everyone's thoughtful faces.

“It is possible.” Thor stepped forward, his now unfamiliar long golden locks billowing in the wind. “But if _we_ could come back in time, we might not be the only ones here...”

“You mean Thanos?! ...God, I wish Strange was here right now, he'd know how to fix this.” Tony said, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

“Careful what you wish for.” They all jumped and turned around to see a man in a flowing red cloak standing on the rooftop where there hadn't been anyone a moment before. Dr Strange, it seemed, stalked closer until he stopped in the middle of the group.

“Perfect timing, big guy. Care to set the record straight? _Please?_ ” Tony asked, the only one who didn't seem too surprised to see their new group member. Steve didn't know how he felt about the suspicious arrival of the man himself, and listened while being careful not to let his guard down fully.

“I believe we have travelled back in time, yes, but also into an alternate dimension. This is all just an illusion of reality.” Strange answered, as though such a thing wasn't completely crazy. Steve looked around at their pristine surroundings warily, the short hairs on the back of his neck standing up. “It seems real because we are inside it, but we haven't truly returned to the year 2012.”

“Still not makin' any sense here.”

“Perhaps this alternate reality is not entirely fully formed. The world appears real but the infinity stones are not, and I fear we might need to do a little more digging before we can find all we need here.” He looked around at everyone's confused faces.

“What does that mean? That the world is real but the stones aren't?” Natasha stepped closer, having seemingly been calculating everything from a distance. Steve watched her, grateful for her participation.

“See for yourself.” Strange said, gesturing toward the tesseract that was secured in a silver machine used to summon the portal from space. It was only then that Steve realised what was missing from this picture...

The brilliant blue beam shooting up into the sky.

Steve eyed the cube with loathing as Loki plucked it from its perch at the base of the absent portal, holding it carefully in the palm of his hand.

“Is that...?” Bucky asked slowly in recognition.

“Yeah.” Steve said darkly, remembering the blue fire Schmidt had extracted from the tesseract back in the 40s and used against Hydra's enemies. Except it looked different now. No longer did it glow with an ethereal light or burn so brightly he had to squint his eyes. It looked dull, like the light inside had been snuffed out.

“What have you done to it?!” Loki growled, piercing eyes glaring at Dr Strange.

“Nothing. It simply does not exist in this time. I believe we were brought here for the mind stone.” He eyed the glowing sceptre gripped tightly in the god's hand. “The space stone, however, lies in a different time. A time it was used on earth to create the most power, a time its power was unique.”

Loki gaped at Strange in rage and disbelief, while the rest of the team gave each other confused looks. Steve hated the dawning understanding that hit him first.

“Are you saying it's back in the war?” He took a step closer to the magician, unable to hold back the emotion from his voice at the very suggestion of it. Time travel was difficult enough to accept, but travelling back to...

Strange looked utterly unaffected by Steve's realization. “Possibly. In fact, I'm certain of it.”

“Jesus...” Bucky breathed from behind Steve.

“'Brought here for the mind stone'?” Nat repeated, and if she too was trying not to become overwhelmed by this complex flow of information, Steve couldn't tell.

Dr Strange continued, beginning to pace a little with a swish of his red cloak. “If we can collect the infinity stones on Earth in these dimensions as they are available to us, then perhaps we can keep Thanos from using them back in our present. The mind stone. The space stone...”

“Is that true? Can we change what happens?” Steve blurted, trying not to look at Bucky or Sam as he said the words aloud. Instead he focused on Dr Strange, who slowly turned around to meet his eyes dead on.

“In a way. Travelling through time is not as simple as one would believe. Every timeline is linked and we are still anchored to ours, and as such what we do here will not change the events of our past that got us to the precise moment we left it in 2018. We can't change anything until the moment Thanos wielded the gauntlet, which leaves only the option of the infinity stones. They hold all of existence together and are one and the same throughout time and space. There is only one true version of each: that mind stone is the exact stone Thanos holds in our future. They alone can be changed through the anchor to our time.”

Steve breathed out shakily and straightened his back, feeling like he'd just been given a lifeline he'd thought impossible. “So we _can_ change it.” He felt like he was standing on a tightrope suspended above nothing but air, waiting for it to snap any moment and dash all his burgeoning hopes.

“Ah, now I'm starting to paint a picture here.” Tony interrupted, running a finger thoughtfully over his neatly trimmed beard. “What we do now affects only the future of the infinity stones? So, Thanos won't be able to destroy half the population with a click of his fingers because he won't have them all.”

“Precisely.” Dr Strange stopped pacing, suddenly making the rooftop eerily still as everyone caught up with these latest events at their own speed.

“So all we have to do is get the mind stone and the space stone, then we go back to our time and kick his ass.” Tony said, sounding enthusiastic and eager now that he had an idea of what to do.

“Luckily for us, in the year 2012 I still have access to the time stone.”

Strange rubbed his hands together until orange circles of light appeared around his fingers. Steve stared: it was magic, he supposed, not entirely unlike Wanda's. He'd get used to it. It wasn't the weirdest thing to happen to him today after all. The orange lights turned green, then the magician summoned open a metal necklace that sat low on the front of his chest. The green infinity stone was revealed within, glowing innocently.

“Once we have the other two stones we should be able to return to our true timeline where Thanos will be weaker without the full use of his gauntlet. It's true that this plan might not work, but with the fate of the universe hanging in the balance I think we have no other choice.”

That tightrope wobbled under Steve, threatening to throw him off, but it didn't snap. Not yet.

He turned his head to glance at Bucky. His friend looked tired, drained, and it suddenly occurred to Steve that when he said he'd 'woken up' in DC, it probably hadn't been under the best of circumstances. At this point in time he'd still been under Hydra mind control, kept in cryostasis and tortured frequently. Currently he looked thinner and paler than he had back in their own timeline but Steve drank in the sight of him regardless, in case he never got to again.

He couldn't quite shake the after-image of Bucky falling to his knees, crumbling into ash right before his eyes. He swallowed and forced his expression into something a little lighter when his friend turned to face him, seeing right through the guise anyway, then a warm hand appeared on Steve's back as a silent form of reassurance. It gave him the courage to think a little more clearly while looking into the stormy sea of Bucky's blue eyes and drawing strength from what we saw there.

He had no idea what was going to happen to them next but he was just grateful for even one more moment with him. If there was a chance Steve could save him – save _everyone –_ then there was no decision to be made. His palm came to rest on the curve of Bucky's shoulder blade and didn't let go, returning the unspoken gesture as they turned back to the others together.

“What should we do?” He asked.

“I didn't bring us here, it was Thanos who used the gauntlet and so Thanos who used the time stone, though I don't believe he intended to send us back in time. In his present, he might not even know he has done anything at all. We must move quickly before he realises his mistake and brings us back himself. We might not have long.” Strange turned away until he faced Loki directly, eyeing the glowing gem at the tip of his spear. “We should start with the mind stone.”

There was a moment's pause before the god's face split into a too-wide grin, like he found all of this to be one big joke. “Hold on now...” He swapped the sceptre to his other hand, the one further away from Dr Strange.

“Loki,” Thor said deeply, drawing his brother's attention. He stepped in closer, lowering his voice as he tried to talk some sense into the smaller man. “You have the chance to prevent Thanos from committing mass murder; you have an army here at your command that you stopped from destroying the city in a single moment! You could help us now if you wished, you could do the right thing.”

“Yes, Thanos' army!” Loki laughed again, though this time it sounded a little more hysterical. When he sobered he added more seriously, “He is too strong, brother, you and I both know this plan is doomed to fail.”

Steve tried to ignore the burn that knowledge sent pummelling into his stomach like a punch from Thanos' gauntlet itself, and just clenched his jaw as if pressing so hard would disguise the gaping hole now exposed in their master plan.

“Yes.” Thor admitted mournfully, and Steve grit his teeth impossibly tighter in denial. “But we still have to try.”

Loki scoffed, still clutching his staff tightly as if he anticipated it being ripped from his hand at any moment. “Why? Why bother when we know we'll already lose?”

“Your last act was one of sacrifice, _noble_ sacrifice against an impossible enemy that you knew wasn't going to end in an equal battle. I believe you've always had that goodness in you, brother. Now is the time to prove it.”

The mind stone shone brightly from Loki's staff, glinting across the rooftop in the tense seconds that followed. Steve averted his eyes, watching the team's shadows play on the ground as he waited for someone to speak. A dramatic sigh came first, and then the stretch of the shadows moved as Loki slowly reached out with his sceptre and allowed Dr Strange to relieve him of it.

“I'm proud of you.” Thor slapped a huge hand down on Loki's shoulder, shaking him a little in a way that made the god's long black hair flutter.

Loki shook him off. “Yes, well, dying gives one a whole new perspective on life.” He stretched the muscles of his neck, looking wistfully after his staff. He didn't seem to see or care that Thor was smiling down at his younger brother like a doting father. “Are you going to destroy it?”

“No.” Dr Strange answered, gazing into the gem on the sceptre as he held it up close in front of his face. “We don't want to threaten the very fabric of existence unless we absolutely have to. But we still need the space stone...”

“And to find it, we have to go back to World War II...” Steve clarified, his blood turning cold at the possibility. He thought he might have fainted if he wasn't already fighting so hard to control himself.

“Yes. I have the time stone at my disposal, it's still working its magic on us as its power is what allows us to be here in the first place, but that's not the issue.” Strange spoke to the staff, waving green lights of magic around it as he did so. The blue gem cracked with green splinters, before the magician extracted the floating yellow infinity stone from within until it hovered over his palm. “We can't travel beyond the threshold of our own lives, for example I couldn't take us so far into the past or future it exceeds our own lifetimes. I can't reach back to World War II because I didn't exist, and I will have no body to inhabit when I arrive there.”

Steve felt a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach as the burn of everyone's eyes turned to him. He could tell the moment he knew there was no use denying what had to happen next, and the moment he gave into it.

“We do.”

He turned to Bucky in surprise who was watching him with a conflicted expression on his face, like he was struggling to come to terms with what he'd just said and what Strange was asking. He was chewing on the inside of his lips, his eyes dark with the pain from the past but also glinting with purpose.

“Buck, you don't have to come with – ”

“Yes I do. You're not going back there alone.”

They watched each other for a long moment as Steve tried to think of a good argument, but the relief that seeped through his insides at those words made him feel selfish and glad that Bucky would be with him. Still, he opened his mouth to protest but Bucky spoke over him.

“We can do it.” He said, looking around at the whole team now. “Just tell us what to do.”

  


~ ~ ~ ~

  


Steve and Bucky stood face to face in the middle of the circle of Avengers all watching them carefully. Dr Strange was using his magic as he paced around them, making preparations that Bucky had no idea what to make of or whether he should feel comforted or scared. He chased away those trepidations and instead looked at Steve, who'd removed his helmet and whose forehead was lined in worry for the journey ahead of them.

Bucky's heart clenched at the thought itself, of returning to their own time that he'd thought lost forever... and Steve's similar thoughts seemed to be playing over his face for all to see.

“Hey,” Bucky said quietly so that his voice stayed between just the two of them. Steve met his eyes, his brow smoothing out slightly and a little smile catching the corner of his mouth. Bucky didn't need to say anything else, and reached out to hold Steve's forearms tightly when Strange told them to. Steve's grip was almost painfully tight but it made Bucky feel braver to have him there and he didn't complain, careful not to break his friend's bones under the metal arm.

“You'll need the time stone to return when you're ready, guard it with your lives. If all goes well, we will meet you back in our present time with the mind stone. Get to the tesseract by any means necessary: if you do this right then nothing else you do there will matter.”

Steve accepted the glowing green gem in its metal case when Strange held it out for him, his blue eyes wide even as he tried to pretend he was fine. Bucky tightened his hold on Steve's arms, ignoring the faces watching them and focusing instead on what was actually important to the mission.

“Everything rests on you now. Good luck.” Strange said and began twisting vines of green light around them now instead of orange. Bucky met Steve's eyes again, holding contact for as long as he could before everything became too bright and he had to scrunch his eyes closed against the glare. Steve's hands on his arms became the only thing he knew, growing tighter and tighter in fear and anticipation in this limbo of nothing but light and each other.

He felt like he was falling or flying or both, until suddenly he landed on his own two feet on a mattress of mud and cobblestones and the light disappeared into a world of darkness. They were outside. He could feel a cold breeze across his forehead and smell the cool air.

Bucky cracked open one eye, blinking away the bright spots lingering in his vision until he could make sense of the shape of Steve standing a little way away from him. They were no longer holding arms or huddled together like they'd been just a moment before, but he felt comforted that Steve was never far from his side.

In fact, he was right there when Bucky's body toppled sideways, top-heavy in such an unexpected way that he couldn't keep his balance. The next thing he noticed was Steve's hands catching him before he could fall over, the contact causing him to jerk alert properly to their change of location from the top of Avengers Tower in New York.

They stared at each other through the night while their eyes adjusted, and he realised it wasn't so dark out here after all; they were on what looked like a blacked out London street, with blown out buildings on both sides and a large moon hanging in the sky that cleared away the shadows just enough to see better. And then Bucky belatedly realised why he felt so strange.

The pain of Steve's hands squeezing him impossibly tight made him wince before they released each other, Bucky regaining his balance then holding up his left arm to stare at the skin that turned pink again from the white imprint of Steve's fingers. Goosebumps lifted the dusting of hair along the back of his forearm and he swayed a little on the spot as he tried not to fall over again, realising he now had to compensate for his metal arm no longer bearing down weight on his left side like he was used to. Bucky couldn't look away, twisting his flesh fingers and his own hand around for better inspection.

“You okay?” Steve's quiet voice asked.

“Yeah...” Bucky answered distractedly, still amazing at the sight of his real arm. “This is weird.” He looked up to see Steve lifting his own arm in awe, that same shield that had just been atop a skyscraper in 2012 Manhattan with him still. It was difficult to wrap his head around the truth that they'd just travelled through time, especially when the sight of Steve in his Captain America uniform had barely changed.

He didn't doubt that his own physical changes were drastic, startling at the breeze of the wind on the back of his neck without his long hair in the way. Bucky also felt lighter, weaker but more nimble, and he put that down to his lack of muscle and prosthetic here in the 1940s. It was like a dream – he _felt_ like he'd jumped back into his old body, when he guessed to Steve it must have felt exactly the same.

“You still have the stone?” Bucky asked and Steve obediently open up his palm to the brilliant gleam of Dr Strange's time stone. He sagged in relief.

“Let's get moving. We know where Schmidt's hiding and he'll have the tesseract there. We need a plane.” Steve said, but before they'd taken more than two steps a loud droning whine picked up in the distance, a sound that sent shivers down Bucky's spine.

An air raid siren.

“Shit.” He breathed, looking up into the sky where he was beginning to make out the sound of propellers heading their way. “We really are back in the war...”

“We need to get to base, c'mon!” Steve tucked the gem away in his belt somewhere before they dived into the blackness of the street, heading in the direction of their old SSR HQ.

  


~ ~ ~ ~

  


Nobody batted an eyelid at the sight of Captain America and Bucky Barnes passing through the base as they did their best to act normal, watching everyone fleeing to and fro in preparation for the air raid. To Steve it felt like re-living one of his countless dreams: he'd walked these halls so many times that he remembered exactly where to turn and how to get onto the landing strip without a wasted step, and they stuck close together in this terrifying moment, suddenly unequipped to be in the middle of the war when everyone else was taking it all in their stride.

They were all used to it. The thought only reminded Steve how important it was that they reached the tesseract and stopped Thanos: all of these people during the war didn't fight, didn't die only for one crazed madman to eviscerate half the universe with the snap of his fingers.

He and Bucky barely spoke but he was constantly aware of his best friend always at his elbow, feeding him the courage to ignore the air raid in favour of their own mission no matter how guilty it made him feel. Bucky was walking differently than he'd used to, as though he still had to compensate for the weight of a metal arm, but it was hardly noticeable to anyone except Steve. He could see their true history in his friend's ice blue eyes, one that spanned through an entire century, and it wasn't scary to scan his face and see the Bucky of WWII. Instead, he just felt like _Bucky_ and Steve was entirely grateful that he'd insisted he come back here too, no matter how selfish it was to have accepted. He offered a scared little nod, one that Bucky returned.

They entered the large warehouse hangar where planes were preparing to take off into the skies and Steve fixed his sights on Howard's personal aircraft – the fastest of the lot. The sight of this place, of bustling soldiers all in uniform was so familiar that Steve almost forgot to question it, like he hadn't lived another life since the time he'd last been standing here with Bucky and –

Steve's body betrayed him as his legs seized and brought him to a sudden stop. It felt like he was suddenly staring down the wrong end of a telescope, with his surroundings tunnelling away from him and the only thing still in focus was the sight of Peggy Carter, coming into view the closer they got to the aircraft.

“Bucky.” Steve practically mewled, darting out a hand to catch the man and prevent him getting any closer. Peggy hadn't seen them yet and Steve tried to remember how to breathe, suddenly feeling like his heart was about to burst from his chest. “What do we do?” He asked a little desperately, fighting the urge to shrink back and run away from this paradox of his life.

He'd carried her casket at her funeral and yet here she was – young and beautiful the way he always remembered her. Steve felt like he was witnessing his dream slowly turning into one of his nightmares, where he'd fall into despair over everything he'd lost 70 years ago.

“Distract her.” Bucky pierced his tumbling thoughts and Steve looked round at him with large pleading eyes.

“How? What do I say?”

Bucky took in a deep breath, like even he was unsure but just trying to put on a brave face. Then he softened in sad understanding, offering Steve a pained, gentle sort of smile. “Everything you always wanted to.”

Steve felt hollow inside but just nodded along like that was going to be easy to do. “Right.” He cringed, knowing what he had to do but unsure if he could actually do it. He forced his legs back into motion, feeling like with every step he was falling back into that wormhole that had brought them here in the first place.

He thought that he might throw up.

“I don't think I can do this.”

“You gotta. Just long enough for me to climb aboard the plane and get it started.” Bucky answered quietly, keeping his voice low now that they were actually approaching her.

Steve blew out a sharp, terrified breath. He tried to remind himself of the stakes here, and that if they failed to execute the plan then none of this would matter anyway. Still, coming face to face with the woman he'd left in the 20th Century was going to be tougher than he'd ever imagined in all his wildest fantasies.

Then he felt Bucky's warm hand on his back – a flash of that same reassuring gesture from the roof of Avengers Tower – and he remembered how important their task here was and how many lives depended on them not messing it up. They had to get to the tesseract, “by any means necessary”. He straightened up taller and tried to act like he still belonged in this life.

When they got close enough Peggy finally looked around, turning to face them a little to give her full attention as they stopped just an arm's breadth from her.

“Captain? Sergeant? There's an air raid going on, can't this wait?” She asked, looking hardened by the seriousness of the situation but, if Steve wasn't mistaken, she also looked pleased to see them but was hiding it away in the corner of her mouth.

Steve felt like he might suffocate.

“P...Peggy. I, um... you...” He started and stopped like a breathless idiot, but was interrupted when a man poked his head out from the inside of the aircraft and intruded in their little trio. Steve turned to look at the new arrival, feeling Bucky stiffen like a statue at his side as the air seemed to evaporate around him.

“Ah! My two favourite people! After myself, of course, but that's always a given.” Howard Stark stated as he rested casually against the door frame, wearing his finest shirt sleeves that were rolled up to his elbows and that same little moustache Steve remembered. He seemed to be quite unaffected by the chaos going on in the city currently.

Steve stuttered to try and calm his features into a casual greeting, but when Howard looked to Bucky he knew the guise was breaking apart when the billionaire frowned slightly.

“You look like you've seen a ghost, my friend.”

Steve glanced at Bucky, burning with second-hand shame when he saw the stricken look on his friend's face as he stared in horror at the man he'd murdered. He _was_ like a statue, unable to move or even respond at all except for the increase in the rise and fall of his chest, glazed eyes tracking Howard as the man dropped down from the aircraft and sauntered a little closer with the swagger his son had perfectly inherited.

And that was exactly what this was: they were standing in a room full of ghosts, and Steve didn't know if his face looked much better than Bucky's did right now. But it was his turn to offer support to his best friend, who was shaking like a leaf when Steve returned the favour and put his hand on Bucky's back to ground him the way Bucky just had for him. It didn't seem to do much to help but he didn't remove his touch anyway.

Howard turned to Steve, jerking a thumb in Bucky's direction. “What's wrong with him?”

He responded a little too quickly to be convincing. “Nothing! Uh... Phillips is looking for you.” He invented, willing Bucky to get it together soon. Realistically it didn't seem like he would be able to function for a while yet, so it looked like it was up to Steve to make this work.

Luckily, the billionaire didn't even question the good word of Captain America.

“Of course he is. The question is, when is he _not_ looking for me? I'm only about to take out the finest aircraft in the fleet to fight off the enemy, but it can wait.” He said sarcastically before shaking his head and heading back the way Steve and Bucky had just come in from, disappearing amongst the other soldiers filling the hangar.

They stood there, ringing in the aftermath for a few seconds before Peggy spoke. “I assume you have a good reason to be loitering when there's plenty of work to be done?”

As Steve tried to school his face again into something casual and presentable, he could easily picture the sight he and Bucky made right now: two weathered soldiers, one of them the greatest spy in history, looking like guilty kids failing to hide a big dark secret from the grown-ups. He floundered, desperately trying to salvage the situation before it could become worse.

“Y-yeah, we do! Um...” Steve ran a hand through his – unfamiliarly short to the touch now – hair, his voice shaking with awe at looking at Peggy again, more real than any memory or vision or photograph could ever be.

She cocked an unconvinced eyebrow at him.

Steve licked his lips before he took the initiative to gently usher Peggy away from the aircraft, his touch feather-light on her arm for fear of shattering the illusion if he pressed too hard. She followed him curiously and Steve made sure to position them so that she had her back to the aircraft and he could keep an eye on Bucky's progress over her shoulder. Not that he was doing well tearing his eyes from Peggy's in the first place.

Right. Distract her.

She watched him patiently, totally oblivious that she was speaking to a man 70 years older than the one she'd known. Steve opened his mouth to lie to her, or maybe to apologise, or to say anything at all... but being with Peggy again made him feel soft inside, like he'd found his favourite teddy bear from when he was a child and the texture of the fur made him feel safe and at home. He recalled so vividly sitting by her hospital bed, holding her fragile hand as she'd told him tales of her life and offered him advice for his own problems, again and again. Now, he found that he _couldn't_ lie to her, even if he'd wanted to. Well, not completely anyway.

“Steve?” She prompted, concern crossing her face now. Steve's heart jumped at hearing his name from her lips, and he bit the bullet and reached forward to hesitantly take her hand in his. The skin was soft and smooth, not belonging to the 90 year old woman he'd last known. Peggy's eyebrows twitched upwards slightly.

“If I told you something crazy would you believe me?” Steve asked, speaking low and sincere. Everyone was busy with their own tasks around them but he didn't want to draw unnecessary attention anyway.

“More crazy than super soldiers and a man with a red skull for a face?” She asked flatly, though the humour was present throughout. Steve wanted to offer her a smile, but nothing about his situation was funny.

“...yeah?”

“Steve, what is this about?”

He glanced quickly over her shoulder, seeing Bucky climb up into the empty plane and disappear inside. Steve mentally calmed himself, thinking that maybe things wouldn't be too difficult after all. But then he looked back into Peggy's face, waiting for him to explain, and raised her hand to clasp it warmly between his own.

“Peggy... I...” But then his confidence stuttered out. He knew that she was far too intelligent to believe an impossible story the likes of his, even if Steve was the one telling it. The fate of the world was in the balance here, and he knew he and Bucky had to do anything they could to make sure they got to the tesseract. His conscience would just have to wait. “I know where Schmidt's secret bunker is, and me and Bucky need to go there now. Alone.”

“How do you know where – ”

“That's not important. I can't tell you where it is but I am asking you to trust me.” He said as he looked deep into her eyes, squeezing her hand earnestly between his own.

Peggy tilted her head to one side slightly, studying him, even as she gave a tiny squeeze back. “Trust you to storm Schmidt's hideout alone with no backup? Is that what you're telling me?” She didn't look convinced. In fact, she looked like she was ready to slap him across the head for his recklessness.

“Yes.”

She levelled him with a look that he tried not to let make him squirm. The tesseract was the goal. Saving the universe was most important. “You do realise that there's a big difference between trust and stupidity don't you?”

At that, Steve had to crack a smile and it felt like he hadn't done so in years. He took a breath then reached out a hand to gently brush the backs of his fingers over the soft skin of her cheek, the easiest thing in the world. Peggy looked surprised at the contact but Steve found he wasn't embarrassed or tongue tied or any of the things he'd used to be.

“If you tell me what's really going on then we can work it out together. Just – just wait until after the air raid and then Howard and I –” She started, and as her defensiveness seemed to change into genuine concern Steve had to fight back the feeling of guilt sinking deeper inside of him, speaking from the bottom of his heart.

“I'm sorry, Peg. I can't tell you why we're going or what we need to do there, but I need you to trust me.” He caressed her face, the way he'd always wanted but had never worked up the nerve to do. “Just trust me.” He repeated, the sadness growing inside him when she gently clasped her hand over his and held on. Steve wished he'd been braver the first time around, he wished he hadn't wasted every chance he'd had to show his true feelings, but he knew that now wasn't the time.

Then Peggy pulled his hand away from her face and took a step back. She didn't look ready to go down without a fight, but before they could say another word something shifted on the plane behind her signalling Bucky preparing for take off. Steve could see him in the pilot's seat where they made eye contact through the window, Bucky nodding once to signal he was ready.

He felt adrenaline spill into his body as he knew it was now or never; with one last pleading look at Peggy he began to run back over toward the plane, heading for the propellers where he swung them around with one huge super soldier tug. The engine droned to life, the propellers picking up in speed and volume.

“Steve!” Peggy called from behind him.

“I'm sorry!” He called back, hurrying to the door and climbing up. Bucky got to work on the controls, flicking switches and completing the final steps before take off. Steve tried to ignore the weight sitting in his gut, but he couldn't stop himself from turning around when he heard Peggy shout after him once more.

“Wait!” She was standing a short distance away, holding onto her hair to stop it blowing into her face from the fallout of the propellers. Surprisingly she didn't look angry or betrayed or anything Steve had been expecting. Instead, she just added “Where did you two learn to fly a plane?”

Steve's lips quirked up at the truth of it, and as the aircraft began to move on its wheels and take them away he leaned out the side of the door to shout over the wind, “The 21st Century!”

He didn't see Peggy's reaction, but when he tugged the door closed and fell back into the sudden silence of the plane he noticed Bucky giving him a pointed look over his shoulder like he was resisting the urge to shake his head. Steve just shrugged in a self-deprecating gesture, feeling his stomach twist when they drove out onto the runway and took off beside the other allied troops. Then Bucky peeled away from the rest of the fleet and their lone aircraft disappeared into the night.

  


~ ~ ~ ~

  


They'd swapped so Steve could pilot at some point over the North Sea as they headed toward Europe, both keeping their reservations to themselves about what they were running away from and what they were heading into next. The silence grew bigger and heavier between them, reminiscent of their fateful flight toward Siberia, until Bucky finally broke the silence when it became too much.

He cleared his throat, still feeling strange whenever he caught sight of his own flesh arm in place of metal, and flexed the skin and bone hand experimentally. “You sure you know where you're going?” He asked quietly, watching raindrops patter on the front wind shield from his seat behind the cockpit. The roar of the propellers buzzed outside.

“I'll never forget.” Steve answered simply, a scowl on his face that looked more sad than anything. When Bucky looked at him in question, prompting him to continue, Steve's shoulders dropped slightly. “It was after you... after I thought you'd...”

Bucky burned at the reminder, the all too recent feeling of his body turning to dust still painfully real in his mind. He shivered.

“I'll never forget.” Steve said again, and Bucky just nodded in understanding.

“I'm here this time.”

They continued in silence for a while more, with just the propellers and the wind whipping by the small aircraft for company. Bucky breathed out slowly, trying to dissipate the weight building on his chest with every mile they grew closer to their destination. It was as if he already knew what was going to happen, and that it wasn't going to be good. Even if they succeeded in getting the space stone from the tesseract.

“Strange said... we can change some stuff that happens with the infinity stones, so...” He mumbled, shifting slightly in his seat and unable to look at Steve again. Steve fidgeted also.

“Yeah. We'll change it. And Thanos won't have the last two so he won't be able to...” He sniffed dismissively. “We'll stop him, Buck. It won't happen like last time.”

It sounded like Steve was trying to convince himself, also.

Bucky brooded in silence for a few seconds before he spoke up again. “Why didn't you kiss her?” He saw Steve give him a quick questioning glance from the side of his eye.

“What?”

“You had a second chance, you should've taken it. You'll never get another go to tell her how you really felt.” He'd tried not to look, but seeing Steve and Peggy so intimate and close had burned itself into his retinas, playing over and over whenever he managed to shake loose the impending vision of death cycling through his head.

“I know.” Steve answered, but he didn't sound as regretful about it as Bucky had expected. Perhaps he, too, was aware that they were likely flying to their deaths – or more accurately – to Bucky's, whether they reached the tesseract or not.

He frowned and looked down at his matching hands, the fingers even and smooth and nails embedded with dirt. It was strange how such a simple thing could mean so much to him now. Now that he knew he didn't have much longer to appreciate anything about life... He sucked in a shaky breath and made himself look up at Steve, who was still hunched over and wearing his emotions on his features.

“I don't regret anything.” Bucky said, then he caught himself shaking his head and chuckling.

Steve's round blue eyes turned to him, sparkling with all his internal fears trying to break free. “Don't talk like that.”

Bucky offered the most reassuring smile he could muster. “I mean, I regret a lot of things. The killing, mostly. Losing 70 years of my life to Hydra... but I don't regret following you into the fight in Wakanda and I don't regret following you now. I never will, no matter what happens.”

Steve closed his eyes and turned away again, his fingers shaking as he held the controls. “Buck. You don't know what it was like. What I _felt_ when you – ” Steve swallowed thickly. “When you were just _gone_.”

“I'm sorry.”

“It's not your fault. None of this is anyone's fault but Thanos.” Steve opened his eyes again and glared out the black window, his jaw clenching visibly. “And don't say your goodbyes, it just makes it worse.” His voice cracked and Bucky felt it like a crack in his own heart. He stood up, crouching low not to hit his head off the metal roof as he walked up behind the pilot's seat and steadied himself on the back rest.

“What if we turned this plane around? Got the hell outta here, found a quiet place just to live out the rest of our lives.” He said gently, grinning at the picture he conjured in his head of peace and happiness. A perfect fantasy.

He knew that Steve could tell he was joking by his tone and it did something to sooth the line of his shoulders, or maybe just standing so close was doing the trick. He resisted the urge to brush his fingers through the short golden hairs at the back of Steve's head.

“It sure sounds nice. Somewhere hot, where the sun always shines and we'll get all old and wrinkly.” Steve joined in, laughing. Bucky chuckled too, but when it died down reality hit again.

“But you wouldn't be able to live with yourself.” He said softly, shifting his grip just a little on the backrest so that his fingers could touch the warmth of Steve's shoulder. “You know we have to do this, regardless of the outcome. We have to try.”

Steve sighed and all of his super soldier strength seemed to escape with his breath until he was just a man, flying his best friend to the gallows. “You're right.” The rain pattered on the window, the propellers still droning outside. “Now sit down and buckle in, we're almost there.”

Bucky obeyed, securing himself back into his seat. “And I'll say my goodbyes if I want to, Rogers.” He added belatedly, hearing Steve force out a little laugh and pretending the sound didn't break his heart. Bucky shut his eyes tight and tried to stop the tremors of fear rocking through him as Steve smoothly brought them in to land.

  


~ ~ ~ ~

  


They fought their way through the huge cave of the Hydra hangar bay, where a massive aircraft that looked almost like a bird of prey was still under construction. Steve knew that he'd spent 70 years frozen inside of it and didn't grace it with another second of his time. He focused instead on getting himself and Bucky out of the hangar and into the mountainside, re-tracing the steps he'd taken on the day he'd left his entire life behind in the real 1945.

They didn't come up against too much resistance, having taken Schmidt by surprise, and they never saw the Red Skull himself either. Even so, Steve didn't stop bracing himself for the inevitable as he found his way back to Schmidt's personal office where he'd been dragged a long time ago. Bucky followed obediently, using the skill of the Winter Soldier that he hadn't had the last time he'd been in the war, and they finally made it to the room Steve wanted with those tall, thin windows showing a dramatic view of the mountains outside in the growing dawn.

“Lock the door.” Steve told Bucky who swung over the huge metal door and secured it in place with a slow _clunk_ of the lock. Then they both looked around at a mean looking gun mounted onto a mechanical stand and the blinding blue glow trying to escape from the magazine chamber. They glanced at each other, slowly approaching the gun while Steve's heart raced against his ribcage.

“I guess Strange was right. The stone is here.” Bucky said.

“Yeah. But I don't think that's the tesseract...” Steve thought aloud, recalling the Hydra ammunition used during the war that had harnessed the energy of the space stone. It was difficult to believe that everything he'd ever known had been leading to the moment Thanos had used the gauntlet, that he'd encountered the infinity stones much earlier than he'd ever realised.

“Where would Schmidt keep it?” Bucky was still brandishing his gun, scanning their surroundings with the eyes of a hawk. Steve joined in, trying to clear his head and think back to the last time he'd seen Red Skull with the tesseract.

“It was in the Valkyrie, but it's not finished construction yet. It _has_ to be here...” He began pulling cables and wires from the gun, opening compartments to check just in case.

“The Valkyrie, that's the aircraft, right? The one you crashed into the arctic?” Bucky kept an eye on the door as Steve worked, even though it was securely bolted shut. They could hear Hydra troops rushing past in the corridor outside, but for now they seemed to have lost sight of their intruders.

“Yeah.” Steve grunted with the effort of pulling open the gun with his bare hands, met only by the glowing rounds of ammo he'd expected. “Check over there.” He gestured to a large bank of machinery that was built into the middle of the room.

“God, this tech really is ancient.” Bucky mused, causing the mild panic of not being able to find the space stone that was rising in Steve's throat to dissipate a little. He laughed shortly in agreement.

“Yeah, the internet would be handy right about now.”

“You gonna google 'where do evil nazis keep their most prized possessions'?” Bucky quipped with a glint of a grin as he met Steve's eyes.

“...Maybe.”

Just then, Bucky moved something on the surface of the console and a hiss rent the air. Steve had to cover his eyes with his shield as light illuminated the office and the sound of grinding gears followed.

“Woah.” Bucky said, mystified, and Steve slowly dropped the metal disc to look carefully over the rim.

_That_ was the tesseract.

Gleaming and swirling the brightest blue, the space stone was very much present in the centre of the cube that was secured in a metal case risen out of the console. It was beautiful and ethereal, and it had caused so much death and destruction that Steve almost trembled with hatred for the thing.

He came to stop by Bucky's side, calming his breathing as he glared daggers at the glowing cube. “You remember what Strange said?” He asked without tearing his eyes away.

“Use the time stone.” Bucky recited as Steve pulled it free from a pouch on his belt. The brilliant green glare that came from it rivalled that of the tesseract. “Careful! Don't touch it, you don't want to be sucked into space...”

Steve carefully used the gem like he'd been instructed, remembering how easily the others had retrieved the mind stone from Loki's staff. Though they'd had Dr Strange himself who happened to know what he was doing, whereas Steve could only give it his best shot.

He somehow managed to carve into the case of the cube like he was using a tiny blow torch, splintering the surface with lines of green as the light grew brighter and brighter and eclipsed the entire room. Steve hid his face in the crease of his elbow as there was a terrible _CRACK_ of glass shattering, and then the sound of a cool breeze warped around him with no wind, like whispers of words he couldn't make out.

“There it is.” He said a little breathlessly, as he gazed at the tiny blue gem that was floating in the place where the tesseract had just been. It looked just like Vision's mind stone, so harmless to the naked eye. It was difficult to believe it was one of six of the most terrible sources of power in the whole universe.

It seemed so simple. Steal two of the infinity stones so that Thanos couldn't use them to destroy everything back in the future. It was a perfect ploy to stop him. In theory.

But what if it didn't work? What if all of this _was_ just a dream, an illusion, what if Steve had fallen into madness after watching all that he loved in the world taken away from him yet again...? Or, what if it wasn't a dream and Dr Strange was right, but they got back to their own time and nothing changed? Steve could feel his eyes burning as tears gathered on his lash line that had nothing to do with the glare of the infinity stones.

“Let's finish this.”

He turned to look at Bucky who was frowning at the gem, squaring his shoulders like he was about to dive into a battle he couldn't hope to survive. And he was. He was.

“Bucky, wait!” Steve grabbed him before his friend could take more than one step closer to the space stone, turning him around so they were face to face. He knew he must have looked as terrified as he felt inside but he didn't have the energy nor the wish to hide from Bucky anymore. He gripped him gently by the upper arms. “You were right. This is our second chance, Buck, and I don't want to lose you again. Not without...” He tried to keep his voice from shaking and barely succeeded.

Bucky was watching him with wide eyes that betrayed his own fear, but then he ducked his head and pulled out of Steve's touch. “Then let's hope this plan works.” He said roughly, like he was straining to hold himself together too.

“No, Bucky – ” Steve grabbed him again, bundling him up close so that their chests were almost touching this time, Steve's hands holding him at the top of his arms. He looked between Bucky's ice blue eyes, only amplified by the ethereal glow from the space stone beside them. He could count every swooping eyelash if he wanted, every thrum of Bucky's heart so close to his own.

Bucky swallowed, opening his mouth a second before he managed to make a sound. “You said no goodbyes.” He objected quietly, but made no move to separate the two of them.

Steve felt his chin threaten to tremble, not looking away from Bucky's eyes. “Well I want one now. Just in case... please.” He felt his breath quake in his lungs and he dreaded when he'd have to let Bucky go and finish the plan, even though it might all be for nothing. He just wanted this moment, he just wanted right now. He whispered, “I'm taking my second chance. It wasn't meant for Peggy...”

He could see when Bucky understood what he was trying to say, and he could see the moment all of him seemed to soften and open up in anticipation. Warm hands appeared and scorched through the fabric at his waist just before Steve pulled Bucky in and kissed him fervently on the lips, moving one hand so he could stroke the skin of Bucky's cheek and hold him there gently.

If this was it, if this was finally goodbye, then Steve wasn't going to be too late or let his friend down this time. He was going to be here, by his side and they'd take the leap together. Bucky wouldn't be alone, he wouldn't have to be scared...

Their arms came up to wrap around each other's bodies and keep them pressed together as close as could be, Steve pouring his heart and soul into their first kiss as it intensified. Bucky's hand was stroking through his hair, soft and warm instead of cold hard metal, until it stopped at the base of his skull to pull him even closer. Steve just held on tight, willing all of this to be real and for the plan to work and for Bucky not to turn to ash and disappear the moment they returned to 2018. He willed this not to be goodbye, no matter how sweet and perfect it was.

Suddenly a loud _bang!_ from the reinforced door brought Steve back to Schmidt's office and he and Bucky pulled away at the reminder of their restricted schedule. Steve felt a tear run down the side of his cheek but wiped it away as they both turned to check on the banging. Someone was trying to get in, and judging by the power behind those blows it wasn't difficult to guess who.

“It's Schmidt – we have to do this now.” He said, his voice sounding as broken as he felt. Bucky looked round at him, nodding in agreement and shifting restlessly on his feet as the banging became more insistent.

“Okay. I'm ready.”

Steve held his breath as he gazed at him: beautiful Bucky who was willing to sacrifice himself for the fate of the universe. His heart clenched and he wanted nothing more than to kiss him again, but instead he only squeezed tight when Bucky took his hand in his own.

“Bucky.” He protested, even though he had nothing to say. They both knew they had to do this, but that didn't mean Steve had to let it happen without a fight.

“It's okay.” Bucky insisted, raising his voice to be heard over the clangs of a fist on bending metal. Steve glanced over his friend's shoulder and could see the bolts around the door beginning to give. “Get ready with the time stone.”

Steve nodded, sniffing through the grief still trying to break out of him as he held the green gem aloft like Strange had told him to. Vines of light began to wind around them, turning into a woven cocoon like the one that had engulfed them on top of Avengers Tower.

“Bucky...” He said again, drawing the man's attention. Their eyes met, Bucky's shining with a look of determination that Steve could only wish for in that moment.

“It's okay.” He repeated, and this time Steve almost believed him. The light was growing so bright that the office around them was disappearing, and then with a final _CLANG_ from the door and the thump of incoming footsteps Bucky dived for the gem in place of the tesseract and Steve closed his fist tight around the time stone and squeezed –

  


~ ~ ~ ~

  


Steve was lying on his back, the world a dizzying blur above him that slowly manifested itself into a view of trees. It took him a moment to think, to remember where he was supposed to be and how he was supposed to have gotten there.

When he did he bolted upright and looked around, his too long hair falling into his eyes as he recognized the little thatch of trees surrounding him as those he'd been fighting amongst in Wakanda. Steve's head was throbbing from the punch he'd received from Thanos, but it was nothing compared to the ache of his heartbeat drumming against his chest like he'd just run a marathon.

He could see Wanda, projecting her red magic onto Vision and Thanos together. Steve instantly sought out the huge gauntlet on the latter's hand, but he was too far away to hope to make out the different gems from here.

So he clambered to his feet, about to run over and help out when something changed on the field: Thanos stopped advancing, Wanda appeared to grow stronger, and as he watched Steve could see the tide change in the woman's favour as she neglected her treatment of Vision to focus only on her opponent instead. Steve hurried closer, dodging trees and branches that could slow him down until he reached Vision's side.

He had been intending to see to the damage and get him to safety – far away from Thanos' reach of the mind stone – but when Vision turned around and looked up at Steve, he noticed straight away that something was different.

There _was_ no mind stone.

Behind him, Thanos fell to his knees under the force of Wanda's power, succumbing to it slowly but surely as the seconds passed by. Steve hovered, wondering if he'd do more harm than good by joining in and distracting her, when he heard a quiet voice asking for him.

“Captain.” He turned and crouched down beside Vision, helping to steady him. The man appeared dazed, touching careful fingertips to the smooth surface of his forehead. “The mind stone. What happened? Did he – ?”

“No.” Steve assured him, turning to watch as Wanda managed to force Thanos lower to the ground in submission. “It - it's difficult to explain...” He lost his words at the sight that was playing out before him, unable to really believe that Dr Strange's plan had worked just yet. Thanos was still powerful, but so was Wanda, he told himself. The evidence was right there.

The gauntlet was glowing, at first threateningly like it was about to launch a counter-attack, until it became clear that the magic surrounding it was the brilliant red that was pouring out from Wanda's fingertips and wrapping around her opponent so tight it appeared to be choking him. Finally, with a last jerk of her arms, Thanos stopped fighting back and just fell to the ground as a dead weight, sending tremors through the earth when he landed heavily and eventually lay still.

Steve slowly helped Vision climb to his feet as they stared at the apparent corpse of their greatest enemy. It had seemed too easy, he thought, despite the fact that Wanda looked positively exhausted and had clearly over-exerted herself in her efforts to overthrow Thanos. Still, Steve's instincts flared when the gauntlet began to glow once more, but then Wanda tugged it off of Thanos' arm with one last bout of magic and crumpled the metal into a ball like it was a sheet of paper. Four infinity stones fell into the grass below it, hovering just an inch or two off the ground and each glowing a different brilliant colour.

Purple, red, green and orange.

Two were missing

“Is it over?” Wanda asked, her voice loud in the sudden silence of their clearing. Steve turned to her, daring to believe it finally.

“Yeah. I think it is.” He said, still a little lost and confused and unsure what was really real. But then the others were beginning to appear through the trees and suddenly there were no sounds of a distant battle taking place anymore, like all of the opposing army had stopped. He could see their team making their way here: Nat, Rhodey, Sam...! Steve puffed up in relief at seeing his friends again and swapped uncertain, hopeful smiles with them all. Then –

“Steve?”

His whole being washed cold in terror when he turned around to see Bucky coming toward him, holding his gun aloft and with his new vibranium arm glinting in the sun. It was too eerie, it was exactly the same, and he just _waited_ for the moment when Bucky would disappear before his eyes and Steve would be helpless to change it as he turned into ash –

But Bucky smiled, as bright and dazzling as the sun, and Steve staggered over to reach him on legs that were numb with disbelief. He practically collided into the guy as he grabbed at him, running his hands over Bucky's chest to check him over for any signs that he was about to disintegrate.

“Are you okay?” He asked with a frown borne of pure fear, but then Bucky grabbed his hands to stop him and make Steve slow down. The next second, Bucky was uncurling his metal hand to show a gleaming blue gem hovering in his palm, one he'd brought with him all the way from 1945. Steve's breath escaped him all at once.

“We did it.” Bucky said, his smile growing brighter with hope and relief. Steve didn't realise their clasped hands were still resting on his friend's chest until Bucky squeezed reassuringly.

“Yeah.” Steve whispered, because he could hardly believe it, with his brows pulled up in the middle and his heartbeat still jumping so fast he thought it'd never slow down. He gazed into Bucky's eyes, their faces inches apart, and then he recalled their desperate last moments back in Schmidt's office. The way they'd held each other close and kissed for all they were worth.

Bucky's smile was blinding, even as he tried not to laugh at the dazed look still etched on Steve's face. “It's okay.” Bucky said softly, the last words he thought he'd ever hear from this man's mouth, and Steve finally felt his entire body release the fear as he began to believe that maybe it _was_ okay after all...

He squeezed Bucky's hand back, and then they were both shifting to bring their faces even closer together, eager like they'd never get the chance again if they parted now. Steve could feel Bucky's long hair tickling his cheek and parted his lips in anticipation just as a small round portal opened up in the air beside them and startled both men apart, effectively breaking the moment.

Dr Strange stepped out of the circle he'd cut in reality, followed closely by Tony and a whole host of people Steve didn't recognise. Iron Man's suit was in a drastic state of disrepair and when he and Tony met eyes they both just nodded curtly in recognition, Steve hating the fact he still didn't know where he stood with the guy. He was pretty sure the girl with antennae attached to her head who followed him out of the portal was an alien, but refrained from saying anything. Finally, when the portal closed, Steve and Bucky joined the cluster of people now gathering near Thanos' lifeless body, joining in at the back of the group.

“So he's dead now, right? I'm just checking, you know, to be _extra_ safe.” Tony was saying.

“He is dead.” Wanda said shakily from where she was wrapped in Vision's arms. “I killed him myself.”

Tony turned to a man Steve didn't recognise, brandishing a finger at him almost threateningly. “That was a close call, Quill. Though I still hold you responsible for everything that happened back there – the fact that we turned it about doesn't change what you did.”

Steve understood what was being implied, especially judging by the genuinely _furious_ expression on Tony's face that betrayed his true inner fear at the near miss. He glared at this Quill himself, unsure if he wanted to know the specifics now it seemed that they might have actually fixed the terrible mistake. He was grateful when Dr Strange drew everyone's attention back to himself.

“The plan worked. And we're all still in one piece...” The magician looked around at them all, still very clearly the ringmaster of this particular show. Steve's heart gave one last squeeze in horror at the memory of watching his friends die, but this time when he glanced at Bucky he didn't have that cloud of inevitability hanging over his head. This time, he felt awash with giddiness when he could reach out and take Bucky's hand in his own, linking his fingers between the soft skin of his non-metal digits. Bucky sent him a warm honeyed smile in return.

“Not everyone.” A deep voice announced, and then Thor joined the group with sparks of lightning still flashing at the ends of his fingers. He had his head tipped forward slightly, a sag to his huge shoulders. “Loki didn't make it.”

Steve was surprised by the honest grief he felt inside at this revelation, and half the group all seemed to shrink a little in sympathy.

“Loki? The madman?” Wanda asked curiously, missing Thor's pointed frown that was shot her way.

“You weren't there, you didn't see what happened. He helped us get the mind stone and stop Thanos' army. And he may have had some stupid ideas in his time but he was never mad. He was a hero, something mortals always fail to see.” Thor stated, defensiveness tinting his words beside the sadness there.

Steve felt for the man, truly, and had to agree with Thor about his brother this time. “We know it now.” He said sincerely, and received a grateful nod from the god for his efforts. Some of the group turned to Steve now, Dr Strange included. They met eyes.

“Well done for retrieving the space stone. I must admit I didn't know if you were capable.” Strange admitted as he walked calmly closer.

“You still got the mind stone?” Steve asked, still uneasy in the magician's presence. But he _had_ helped them, at the very least, so he tried not to let his trepidations show too much on his face.

Strange stopped walking, waving his hands to make more orange circles appear in the air and then – he produced the mind stone, perfect and golden and whole. “Yes. Now where is yours?”

Bucky glanced at Steve before he withdrew his hand from their embrace and stepped up to Dr Strange, holding out the other one with the blue gem for the man's examination. Steve never thought he'd be so glad to see the smooth metal of the prosthetic, and as he looked at the infinity stone reflected in the plates of Bucky's palm he wondered how such a tiny thing could be responsible for so much damage. He couldn't wait to be rid of it.

“Are you gonna take 'em all?” He asked Strange, who used magic to accept the infinity stone from Bucky's outstretched hand.

“Yes. I will keep them safe in a realm nobody else can reach.” The magician turned to the four other stones in the grass, lifting them with his magic until they floated in front of his face. Then with another wave of his hands all six infinity stones disappeared into thin air. “At least until we can decide on the safest course of action from here.”

Steve didn't know if he should have felt concerned or reassured, but he _did_ know that he felt so much better with those stones out of sight. Wherever they were, for now. Then Strange opened up a vortex underneath Thanos and his body slowly disappeared into a black void and was swallowed up for good.

“Is someone gonna explain what's actually going on here? I'm just – I'm just _so_ confused right now!” The kid, Spiderman, exclaimed out of nowhere, resting his hands on top of his masked head like it would help him make sense of everything.

Steve quirked a smile, fond of the kid even if they'd only ever fought on opposite teams, to his knowledge. “Someone'll tell you when you're older, kid.”

“Actually, I'd like to hear this too. I still ain't sure what went down an' I was there for the ride.” Sam piped in from where he was standing across the group from Steve. He'd never been more grateful to see the man in his life, and that was truly saying something.

“Me too. I think I need to lie down. Time travel isn't all it's cracked up to be.” Nat added, rubbing at her joints as though she'd kicked some serious alien butt on the field and it was finally getting to her.

“ _You travelled through time?!_ That is so awesome! It doesn't make any sense, but it's awesome!” Spiderman cried, overly excited, before Tony began to shush him and usher him away from the centre of the group.

“Alright, can someone take the kid inside please? Get him some milk, some cocoa, anything to keep him quiet?”

“But Mr Stark I wanna hear – ”

“Go.” Tony ordered, and Spiderman began grudgingly heading back toward the direction of T'Challa's palace. Others began to follow, still looking uncertain about what had happened but too tired to stay out here much longer. Steve was grateful, and he and Bucky slowly took up the rear.

“But someone is gonna clear all this up, right? Start makin' some sense? I'm thinkin' the guy with the magic who we just entrusted the six most powerful objects in the universe to?” Colonel Rhodes mumbled as he followed the herd, eyeing Dr Strange warily.

“Yeah, and I want to hear what happened back in 1945.” Nat flashed a coy smile over her shoulder at Steve and Bucky as they picked up the slack, causing Steve to duck his head while he tried not to blush.

As everyone began traipsing back toward the city his fingers twitched with the wish to hold onto Bucky's again, but before he could a voice from behind them interrupted before they could get too far.

“Uh, where d'you two think you're going?”

Steve and Bucky turned to Tony, the only other person left now except themselves. Steve bristled for a fight, but something told him there wasn't going to be one. After a few seconds he stood down, showing he wasn't willing to throw the first punch either.

Tony took a few steps closer. He looked bad, like he'd suffered a battle the likes of the one that had played out here from whatever distant planet he'd been on. Steve tried not to wince.

“You look rough.”

“Yeah that's what happens when you travel through space on an alien ship and fight the toughest bad guy in the entire universe. It's not an easy job. Did no-one tell you that?” Tony quipped, and the tone of sarcasm made the hesitance inside Steve's chest ease up. He wasn't in trouble, at least not right now.

He almost cracked a smile. “I don't think time travel was on the job description when I signed up.”

“Yeah, neither was watching half the population turn to dust. Maybe we should all start thinking of retirement.” Then Tony's eyes flicked to Bucky and his note of humour faded somewhat. “God, I hate you. I've been imagining the moment we bumped into each other again for a long time...”

Steve turned his head slightly, checking on Bucky in his peripheral vision. The man was watching Tony, but with a forced calm expression on his face as he stayed loyally by Steve's side. “What're you gonna do?” Bucky asked, and it was only because he knew him so well that Steve could tell he was actually concerned.

Tony crossed his mechanical arms over his chest, looking back to Steve now as though they were merely discussing what movie to watch tonight. “That depends. We still on a truce? 'Cause to me, there still seems to be a lot of crazy that needs ironing out before we can go back to – y'know – hating each other and everything.”

Steve almost sagged in gratitude, this time allowing a little smile to let slip. Tony's lips twitched, but whether it was in annoyance or a smile in return, he wasn't sure.

“Sounds good to me, Tony.”

They watched each other for a long charged moment, as though waiting for one or both of them to change their minds. Finally, Tony gave in first and just nodded in acceptance, making his way past them after the rest of the team.

“You two can go back to kissing now.” He added, waving a dismissive hand at them with barely a second glance. “Or whatever you were doing when we arrived. That's something I definitely never needed to see...” He mumbled as he continued back toward the city, leaving Steve and Bucky to ignore him in favour of looking at each other instead.

Steve ducked his head again, grinning at Bucky who just smiled back with a sparkle about him that Steve hadn't seen for a very long time. Cool metal fingers slipped between his own and Steve's heart thrummed happily in his chest as they followed far behind everyone else, holding hands and swapping radiant looks the whole walk back.

 

 

 


	2. Author Announcement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NO ENDGAME SPOILERS HERE! You can read on safely if you haven't seen the film yet :)

This fic will now have two chapters: I wrote Chapter one right after Infinity War came out as a fix-it for that film and an outlet for my emotions at the time. Now, Chapter two will be the same but for Endgame xD

Chapter one ONLY contains spoilers for Infinity War, but once I update this fic with Chapter two, if you haven't seen Avengers: Endgame yet then THERE WILL BE SPOILERS FOR ENDGAME IN CHAPTER 2! I will tag this and make this very clear once it's posted so that nobody should accidentally stumble upon any spoilers they don't want to see :)

I hope to have the Endgame fix-it up in about a week, roughly? Maybe two, just to allow everyone enough time to go and see the film for yourselves before reading it x)

**Author's Note:**

> Did I just do some bullshit hand waving at this to get a happy ending? Yes I did and you're welcome xP Like I said before this is just meant to be therapeutic so who cares about the specifics right? That's what I'm running with here anyway.
> 
> I'll be honest, this gave me a headache as I was trying to work it all out so please just ignore any continuity mistakes I missed because I hate writing time travel and it just causes a whole lot of problems I wasn't expecting to have to deal with. But just in case it was all too confusing I'm going to try and break it down a little here to clarify what I was going for:
> 
> In this story Dr Strange was at the very least in training during the Battle of New York, so even if he hadn't mastered his power by then he still had access to the time stone and the cape, and his mind from 2018 would know how to deal with them properly. (On that note, I don't know how the time stone would actually work here so I made it up and it seemed to do the job.)
> 
> The time stone is functional throughout the whole story even though the mind and space stone are specifically kept apart because it's the magic from the time stone that made them go back in time. Think of it as the rope they used to abseil through time, collecting the others in the right places but the time stone is always there with them as the constant lifeline.
> 
> And I did the ol' Back to the Future trick of returning to just a few minutes before they all left because I wanted to xP 
> 
> And there we have it! I'm going to see the film again in a few days and hopefully I'll be able to deal with it a little better that time, but for now have my happy ending fix-it that kicks Thanos out of everything and they'll all live happily ever after x)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! x


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